Good Morning everyone!! I'm new to this forum and very happy I found it!! Lots and lots of information and beautiful pictures!!! I need some help.... At the end of last summer, I purchased some catalaya orchids. I have kept them in their original containers but was wondering if and when I need to repot. They are in the normal green plastic containers. Is there anything special I need to know or do when repotting them? I know I have to buy a special planter with lots of holes and the soil is something like bark chips and stuff which I can purchase at my local nursery. I just don't want to lose them as they are the first orchids I have had live this long. Thank you!!!

Hi t1nkerbelle,
Do you have some pictures you could share?
Maybe even some 'glamor shots' of the plant and roots that are visible?
I usually repot my new plants immediately after getting them that way I know for
certain when it was done.

T1nkerbelle, I took the liberty of changing the title of your thread.
Here is a page on Cattleya culture, perhaps this might already answer some questions. And yes, pictures would help, so we can see if they have outgrown their pots. http://www.aos.org/Default.asp...

sugarcane said:Hi t1nkerbelle,
Do you have some pictures you could share?
Maybe even some 'glamor shots' of the plant and roots that are visible?
I usually repot my new plants immediately after getting them that way I know for
certain when it was done.

Hello!!! I took some pictures this morning of the two I have.

Here's one: This one has beautiful roots and has been pretty healthy the whole time.

Here's #2: This one has been struggling since I got it. The roots don't look as healthy to me. But these are my first and I have no idea what to expect. Can you see the one leave that has some black? I recently had to cut one off as it died. Any help you guys can provide would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Ursula said:T1nkerbelle, I took the liberty of changing the title of your thread.
Here is a page on Cattleya culture, perhaps this might already answer some questions. And yes, pictures would help, so we can see if they have outgrown their pots. http://www.aos.org/Default.asp...

Welcome to the forum!

Thank you Ursula!! I've posted some pics!!! Looking forward to any feedback!!!

If that were me, I wouldn't touch the first Cattleya. It looks fine.
Now the second I would take out of its pot, which I think it somewhat too large for the plant. I would inspect the roots, making sure they are healthy. If not, I would trim them with a sterile tool and repot the plant into a smaller pot into fresh bark. Soak plant first to make sure the roots are pliable and also soak the bark mix prior to using. If you see any black tissue, cut it off and dust the cut with powdered Cinnamon.

I recently learned that a lot of what is labeled as "cinnamon" in this country isn't actually. It's a similar tasting bark called cassia. It MAY or may not have the same properties as real cinnamon. To be sure I had REAL cinnamon, I'd trust a label that says "real cinnamon bark" on the ingredients list on back OR I'd buy actual sticks of cinnamon, which are distinguished by the way they rolled up. they'll be rolled from both sides to meet in the middle, not in a single spiral roll.

I am not about to open a can of worms with a Cassia vs/and Cinnamon debate @-@ ( which I am aware of), you may please google your hearts out, the information is there x 1000.
For whatever it is worth, that stuff actually works surprisingly well. But there are certainly many other ways to combat fungal and bacterial problems on our Orchids. Whatever works for you.

Ugh.
I didn't know I was opening up a healing wound.....
I just learned about cassia - right after I learned olive oil isn't always olive oil and not all "dark chocolate" is the healthy high cocoa content. THEN just yesterday I learned soy is NOT so healthy as advertised unless it's been fermented (tofu,tempeh)..... blah blah blah. Makes me doubt everything I thought I knew about nutrition. Isn't part of the FDA's job to police labeling????

So - if you say cassia works as well for orchids as cinnamon, I'll believe your experience!

Thank you Ursula & crittergarden for the info!!! Ok, now my question is.... Please know that I'm no trying to salt any wounds or cause an uproar. All this is new to me....... do I need to go buy real cinnamon sticks? I have cinnamon powder but know that it's cassia. And where should I go to purchase? Regular grocery store? Or Sprouts/Whole Foods? I have no idea. Thank you!!!